Planned or in the budget

How should Squamish speed up dike upgrades?

The background, so you can decide for yourself. Facts checked October 26, 2026.

Much of Squamish is on a floodplain between rivers and Howe Sound. The District of Squamish raises dikes one project at a time from a list of flood priorities. It often relies on federal and provincial grants for the big projects, with the District paying the rest from taxes and borrowing.

The most recent finished project raised and widened about 900 metres of the Squamish River dike at Jimmy Jimmy (Judd) Slough, protecting Brackendale, Garibaldi Estates and Squamish Nation land. It was first identified in 2017 and work began in 2019. Most of the money came from the federal and provincial governments.

Borrowing is already part of the mix. Council gave three readings in June 2026 to a bylaw to borrow for yearly flood upgrades, and staff expect debt payments for dike and bridge projects to add 1.8% to taxes in 2027 and 2.8% in 2028. The question is whether to lean harder on borrowing, on taxes, or keep pacing the work to grants.

Key facts

Latest project: About 900 metres of Squamish River dike raised at Judd Slough, finished by July 2026¹
Who paid: Federal over $3.6 million, Province over $2.1 million, District over $1.4 million¹
Debt payments in taxes: 1.8% in 2027 and 2.8% in 2028, mainly for the bridge deck, downtown sea dike and Squamish River dike⁵
Example loan: 2025 flood bylaw: up to $2,020,202 over a term of up to 30 years⁴
Plan update: $400,000 update of the flood plan planned for 2027⁵

Where it stands

Planned or in the budget The District has it in a plan or budget, but it hasn’t happened yet. The ask is usually about doing it sooner or differently.

Who decides: Squamish council.

What each answer would mean

Borrow to go fasterInterest gets added to future tax bills.
Raise taxes to go fasterHigher tax bills now, no interest.
Keep waiting for grantsCheapest for taxpayers, slowest to finish.

The case for each answer

The strongest honest case for each side, as people who hold it would put it.

Borrow to go faster

Protection gets built sooner, and the people who benefit over the dike's long life share the cost.
Interest adds to the total bill, and debt payments already push up taxes in 2027 and 2028.

Raise taxes to go faster

Paying as you go avoids interest and keeps future budgets free of new debt payments.
It means bigger tax bills now, on top of a draft 2027 increase that already starts at 10.4%.

Keep waiting for grants

Grants paid for most of the Judd Slough project, so waiting can save local taxpayers a lot.
Grant timing is out of Squamish's control, and the flood risk stays until the work is done.

How we got here

2017The Judd Slough dike was identified as a top priority in the District's flood plan.²
2019Work on the Judd Slough dike began.²
June 16, 2026Council gave three readings to the Annual Flood Protection Upgrades Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 3251.³
July 30, 2026The Province announced the Judd Slough dike work complete.¹
September 29, 2026Staff's draft budget showed debt payments for dike and bridge borrowing starting in 2027.⁵

Questions people ask

Does Squamish already borrow for dikes?

Yes. For example, a 2025 bylaw allowed borrowing up to $2,020,202 for flood protection, and a 2026 bylaw for yearly flood upgrades got three readings in June 2026.⁴

How much did grants cover on the last big project?

At Judd Slough, the federal and provincial governments together put in more than $5.7 million, and the District more than $1.4 million.¹

Ready to decide?

Your answer

Tap to answer, then see what Squamish said. Tap your answer again to take it back.

How should Squamish speed up dike upgrades?Much of Squamish sits on a floodplain. The District raises dikes a section at a time, mostly when grants come through.

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More background

Sources

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